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Subaru recalls nearly 634,000 cars and SUVs

01/03/2013 05:13:14 AM PST
DETROIT—Subaru is recalling nearly 634,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. because lights beneath the doors can overheat and cause fires. The recall affects all Outback and Legacy cars from model years 2010 and 2011. Also included are Tribeca SUVs from 2006 through 2012 and Forester SUVs from 2009 through 2012. Subaru says the Tribecas and Foresters were sold before January of 2012.
The company says moisture can get into puddle lights beneath the doors and cause a short circuit that can melt plastic and cause fires.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that Subaru will install an additional fuse at no cost to the owners. The recall is expected to begin in February.
Moderator; please move to where appropriate.

............snip..........A Subaru spokesman said the recall involves only 53,999 cars equipped with the lights, but the wider number of owners must be alerted because the company does not know which cars have them.

There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue, but there was one report of smoke, the spokesman said.

A short circuit can develop when the light or connector are exposed to an electrolytic moisture source such as road spray that has road salt in it, the NHTSA said. That can cause heat that could melt the plastic, resulting in smoke or fire.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional harness, the NHTSA said. The recall is expected to begin next month.................snip...............

I suppose if someone has added their own puddle lights, this should be a warning to make certain their mod is well protected from moisture/salt spray.

I installed a few of these kits as a dealer service technician and I would say 90% of the people that bought these also paid to have them installed. It should be as simple as having each dealer report how many were dealer installed vs sold over the counter. Either way I hope people realize they have them. I would also guess that many of the people that picked the accessory also picked about 5-7 others and just were blowing cash to load up their car like a luxury car. In other words, they wouldn't even realize they have them on their car since its fairly subtle.